Redemption
by kutnerlove
Summary: Thirteen has been gone for ten months, but she's back and she's got a huge revelation to drop on the team.
1. Chapter 1

Redemption

It had been ten months since she had set foot in Princeton and it was tough coming back. She'd left a job she loved…she needed, and the only people she had cared about. But there were things she had needed to do for herself, so the only choice she had was to leave for a while. She had lied, of course; told her co-workers that she was leaving for Rome to take part in a Huntington's trial…by now they had probably figured out that she was nowhere near a trial, Foreman was too controlling to accept her excuse without checking it out. They were certainly in for a shock when they found out what had really gone on, and against her better judgment Thirteen was, in fact, going to present the world with the truth.

May 20th 2010 was life changing for Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley. House had just lost a patient due to his own unwillingness to let Cuddy amputate the damaged leg and the team was leaving for the night. After all that had gone on in the last few weeks Thirteen was drained, there was something nagging her, though…something she had forgotten about.

Thirteen dropped her purse in a chair as she entered her apartment. As she dragged herself toward the bathroom for a shower, she stripped off her clothes, determined to wash off the stress of the day before doing anything else. She turned on the shower and let the hot spray massage her tired body for nearly half an hour before she even started to clean herself up. The young doctor wrapped herself in a towel after extracting herself from the watery haven and grabbed the handful of takeout menus off the kitchen counter before returning to the bathroom to comb her hair and brush her teeth.

Though Thirteen was more relaxed than she had been in at least a month, the nagging feeling of missing something still hung over her head like a little black rain cloud. She decided to put in an order for Chinese before working out her mystery, and as she grabbed the phone from the countertop, her eyes fell on the small calendar where she kept track of her monthly events. Thirteen dialed the familiar number as she skimmed the dates marked in the calendar. Just as the cashier picked up the phone, the doctor realized what was missing from the markings.

"Number six, two egg rolls to 314 James St." she told the girl on the other end before hanging up the phone. "I forgot to mark my period…" As she tried to remember the last period she had gotten the tiny knot in the pit of her belly swelled to the size of a beach ball. It had been two months…She was a whole month late.

Thirteen hastily threw open the cabinets under the sink and riffled through q-tips and packages of tampons until she found the package of pregnancy tests she kept in case of emergencies. With her heart thumping like she had run a marathon, Thirteen unwrapped one of the test sticks and prepared to pee.

By the time the Chinese delivery had showed up at her door, Thirteen had worked up the courage to take the test. She was still awaiting the result as she ran to the door to pay for her food, which by now she was too nervous to eat. She tossed the bag onto the coffee table and headed back to the bathroom to get confirmation on what she already knew in her heart. The pink positive sign looked altogether too happy, as though it were mocking her.

It wasn't as though she was opposed to having children, but Remy Hadley was born with Huntington's. She wasn't physically the best candidate for reproducing for that fact alone…put the stress of working for House on top of her medical condition and there were possibly two or three people on the planet less suited to have a baby…at least in her opinion. Even more things were against her having children as she was currently single.

The fact that she was single was one of the biggest reasons she decided to go away for a while. She couldn't take the rest of the people she worked with looking at her with such supreme sympathy. Especially because she knew what they would all think…that Foreman had left her with a huge problem. In all actuality she and the neurologist hadn't been together in over a year, but of course everyone would suspect that they had been secretly dating or screwing and that he was the father. Foreman himself would be so annoying in trying to figure out who she had slept with that that was another big reason she wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret for a while.

But the most important reason Thirteen did not want to be at PPTH while she was pregnant and growing larger amid huge drama with the team was the actual father of the baby. He was surely not expecting this…she certainly hadn't expected it. She wondered if he even remembered that they had been intimate. It had been very late and they were both extremely stressed and had had a few drinks. They ran into each other in the lobby and took things back to the on call bed area. They had had a hot and very sloppy encounter which had left her trembling. He had passed out shortly thereafter and she had gotten dressed and then headed home for a well needed weekend off.

The next time she had come into contact with him was at work and she'd been somewhat embarrassed that they hadn't talked sooner. He showed no interest in talking about their one night stand and she was fine with that. He did glance at her more often and met her eyes less frequently for a few days, but nothing ever came of those glances so she wrote it off as him being uninterested in a follow up session. There was no question that he was the father of the baby…she hadn't been with another man since Foreman.

Packing her things for a "vacation" was easier than Thirteen had expected. She left notice with the team and got out of New Jersey as quickly as she could. Things were quite tense when she took up residence in her cousin Tabitha's spare room initially; they hadn't talked in ten years prior to Thirteen's phone call asking if she could visit for a while. Tabitha was quick to open up, though Thirteen was somewhat reluctant to get involved. It wasn't until her cousin helped her clean herself up a few times after morning sickness that Thirteen started talking to the only family member she had left.

Tabitha went to the doctor's appointments with Thirteen, held her hand when labor started and the camera when Chloe Elyse was placed in Thirteen's tired arms. After thirty-two hours of labor, Thirteen looked into her daughter's eyes and it was then that she realized that having a baby was perhaps the best thing she could have done…the most important way she could have spent her time to try changing the world. She was terrified that Chloe had received the Huntington's from her genes and had her tested as soon as she talked to the pediatrician. The second happiest moment in the life of Remy Hadley was when she got the test results back saying that Chloe was negative for Huntington's Chorea.

On the day that Chloe turned three months old, Thirteen boarded a plane with her daughter back to Princeton, New Jersey. She took the baby home and called a babysitting service so that she could get the things for the baby from the airport and get food and diapers for home. It was strange to be away from her daughter as they hadn't been apart for more than five minutes since Chloe was born.

Thirteen got things set up for the baby and asked the babysitter to return the next day so that she could go to the hospital and look into getting her job back. She wasn't exactly ready to present Chloe to the world, but the first step, representing herself, she was ready for. Her body had gone back to the shape it had been in before the pregnancy with the exception of a boost in cup size. She knew that House would ask about that, but she could tell him she'd gotten a boob job and he would probably hire her back quicker.

The hospital was only marginally busy when Thirteen stepped into the lobby for the first time in then months. A flood of memories rushed over her as the familiar sounds and smells enveloped her and drew her further into the building. Nobody stopped her when she headed for the elevators and pressed the button for the fourth floor. The team was in the differential office when she walked past. Chase was red in the face from arguing with House, who was scoffing. Taub rubbed his temples as he studied the case file and Foreman stared on annoyed…it was a familiar scene. The only difference was that a young female with dark hair and a set of teary eyes.

For the first time Thirteen thought about the possibility that she couldn't get her job back…she hadn't thought that House would replace her. 'Of course he'd replace you,' her subconscious reprimanded her. 'You left and he needed a female team member…Cuddy would never let him have an all male team.' She had just assumed that things went on with House hating anyone that he had to hire on the Dean of Medicine's orders. She stood outside watching the team for almost five minutes before they started moving and she realized that she looked like an idiot just staring in at them. Taub stopped in the doorway upon seeing Thirteen waiting in the hall like a kid going to the principal's office.

"What are you doing here?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"What are you doing here?" Taub repeated as Chase pushed past him with a smile.

"Thirteen!" the Aussie greeted his friend. "I hope your vacation was a good one."

"Judging by the size of those hooters I'd say it was a great one," House interjected. "Why are you all bunching up in front of the door? There are people who actually have things to do…namely you guys. And Thirteen isn't going to throw off shock waves if you get too close."

"Hi," Thirteen greeted her former colleagues and House a bit more nervously than she would have liked. "I don't mean to keep you all from a case. I came to talk to House, but if it's not a good time…" she trailed off.

"You heard her; she's here to see me. Go do your jobs and you can talk about summer vacation when a fourteen year old kid isn't dying of AIDS." The team reluctantly left to treat the patient, the young female doctor staring at Thirteen as though she were a ghost. When Thirteen caught her eye, she dropped her gaze and hurried away. House rolled his eyes and turned to go back into his office; Thirteen followed. "I take it you want back on the team?"

"Well, yes. I had some things to do, but I'm ready to work again," she responded.

"And the C cups are supposed to do the job of convincing me, eh? Good plan. I like the new hooters."

"That's why I got them." Thirteen rolled her eyes.

"Well it's going to be a little difficult to get rid of the kid."

Thirteen's heart nearly stopped. She swallowed hard. "What kid?"

"Martha M. Masters, aspiring doctor."

"The dark haired girl? She's not a doctor?"

"No. Cuddy's making me keep her…turns out she's not as horrible as I thought she would be. I've found uses for her. Keeps me from getting kicked out of here, anyway." House sighed. "I'd say that she could stay and I'd kick Taub out if you like her, but she's not really your type. And even if she was, you aren't hers."

"You're attached to her?"

"Not really. I said it would be hard to get rid of her, not impossible. Just give me a week and you'll be able to come back…with a few conditions," House told her.

"What kind of conditions?"

"I want to know what you were doing for the last ten months."

"I can't tell you that," she replied.

"Didn't expect you to. If you did it would take the fun out of it…I'll find out." House tossed his ball up in the air. "But you didn't let me finish. I want to know what you were doing for the last ten months, but I'll settle for you wearing lower cut tops."

"Really? That's your condition?" Thirteen scoffed. She had expected a little more intrigue out of a medical genius.

"I also want you to go out with Wilson."

"What?"

"You don't have to sleep with him. Just take him out to a bar where he could get a nice bisexual girl…he's been unbelievably annoying since he broke it off with that evil ex of his that something has to give." House smirked. "I'm guessing you can get him some strange."

Thirteen shook her head. "I'll take him out to a bar. But he has to know that we aren't out as a couple. This is not a date."

"Deal. You start Monday morning," House replied. "I knew you'd be back."

"I'll see you Monday, House."

When Thirteen got back to her apartment she sent the babysitter home and spent the rest of the day with Chloe. She knew that she would be away from her daughter for the majority of the day and sometimes during the night now that she was back on House's team and she wanted to spend as much time with her daughter as possible. Of course House would eventually find out that she had given birth, and when that time came she hoped that she would be in a position to get more time off to spend with her daughter.

Just as she was putting Chloe down for the night a knock at her front door set her heart beating as fast as a speeding train. She quickly closed the door to the spare bedroom, which had been converted into Chloe's room, and checked her body for any signs of taking care of a baby. She didn't see anything on her clothes and hoped that she could keep whoever was at the door from entering the apartment.

Thirteen cleared her throat and brushed her hair out of her face before opening the door. She was a little surprised to see not House, but Chase standing there. "Hi," she said with a hint of confusion clouding her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see if you'd be interested in having a drink," the Aussie said, grinning at her.

"I'm sorry, but I can't."

"If it's not a good time we could reschedule."

Thirteen sighed. "Chase, I…" She was cut off by a cry from Chloe's room. "I have to go."

"Wait. Was that a baby?" Chase asked.

Thirteen's mouth dropped open and she turned on her heel and went to her daughter. Chase followed her, much to her discontent. "I can't talk about this right now," she told him.

"Why not? You haven't talked about it in the past ten months, you should be dying to say something to somebody," he reasoned. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because no one needed to know," Thirteen replied. "Chloe is my business."

"And her father?"

"She doesn't have a father. I'm raising my baby on my own." She picked Chloe up and rocked her to calm her down.

"You didn't get insemination," Chase said, looking over the child. "She's at least three months old. You were pregnant before you left."

"So what? She's mine. Even if I told…him…it wouldn't matter." The baby stopped crying and Thirteen eased her back down into the crib. She nodded toward the door, indicating that he should follow her. They left the baby's room, Thirteen leading the way to the living area. "Look, if you tell anybody about this I'll never talk to you again. This isn't something I want the public at large to know about…"

"Relax, I'm not going to tell anyone," he assured her. "I just wish you had said something to someone. Is this the only reason you left?"

"Isn't it a good enough reason?" she demanded. "Foreman would be who everybody suspected and dealing with him under normal circumstances is hard enough. He thinks we're going to get back together…"

"So, are you going to tell me who the father is?" Chase asked.

"No. I'm not letting anyone know just yet. I want to get settled in and get Chloe comfortable here before I introduce her to someone who is probably not going be a huge part of her life." Thirteen sighed.

Chase ran a hand through his hair. "Alright. Do what you think is best."

"You're not really mad at me are you?" she asked. Despite everything she respected Chase's opinions. She considered Chase a good friend and she didn't have many good friends.

"I guess not. You're just protecting yourself. I can't really blame you."

"Do you want to come over tomorrow and meet her?" Thirteen asked, going out on a limb. She wanted Chase to know that she still wanted him to be included in her life. "We can order take out and talk."

"Sure."

"Great." She gave him a small smile.

"I guess I'll see you then." Thirteen saw him out, then locked the door behind him. She sighed, and poured herself a glass of wine, then sat down to mull things over. She knew she could trust Chase to do what she had asked and despite it all she wanted to tell him the truth about Chloe's parentage. Before going to bed she had decided that she would confess everything to him the next evening.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Thirteen was more than a little nervous the next evening as she waited for Chase to come over. She knew he would most likely be late because of work so she planned to wait until he called before ordering the food. She fed Chloe and gave her a bath before settling down with her in front of the television. She was somewhat surprised; however, when Chase knocked on her door promptly at 6 p.m.

"Hi," she greeted him with a nervous smile.

"Hi," Chase replied. "Can I come in?"

"Sure. Yeah." Thirteen stepped back and allowed him to step into the apartment. "Well this is it. And this is Chloe…Chloe Elyse."

The baby was sitting in a swing near the couch, one hand in her mouth. Chloe Elyse had bright blue eyes and a tuft of blonde hair near the front of her head. Chase squatted down to get a closer look at her. "She's beautiful," he said. "Looks a lot like you."

Thirteen smiled. "Thank you. She's the best parts of me…the best parts of him."

"Him?"

"Yes. We weren't dating…weren't even really interested in dating. It just kind of happened one night…and well, here we are."

"Are you ever going to tell him?"

"Eventually I'll have to," she said with a sigh.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to…" He reminded her. "Didn't you tell me that once?"

"While you were having your threesomes and wondering about how to get over Cameron, I believe." Thirteen laughed. "But it doesn't really apply in this case. I can't exactly keep a human being secret. And I can't let her grow up thinking she doesn't have a biological line…she's just not going to have a familial one. Well, most likely, anyway."

"You could be surprised."

"Doubtful."

"Who wouldn't want to at least get to know his own kid?" Chase wondered out loud. His eyebrows furrowed and Thirteen knew he was nearly at the answer. She knew that he was going to work out who she had slept with…who she had conceived a child with and who she had kept that child from. "Wait…you didn't…"

"Didn't what?" She wanted to play it cool, or as close to cool as was possible, for as long as she could. "I don't know what I'm supposed to have done."

"The only person that you could think wouldn't want a relationship with a child…his child-the only person that you could possibly be so ashamed of getting pregnant by that you would have to leave New Jersey is…House." Chase's eyes were as wide as they could possibly go. He had one hand on Chloe's swing, still in the squatting position looking up at Thirteen and she couldn't find the will to deny the truth any longer.

"It was stupid…he was drunk, I was drunk. He doesn't even remember we slept together."

"Holy Crap! You actually had sex with our boss…"

"When you say it like that it seems impossible."

"It basically is impossible," Chase told her. "I can't imagine…"

"You want to try and imagine sex with House?" she cut him off.

"That's not what I meant."

"Look, the bigger issue here is the fact that I'm going to have to work with him. He's got a daughter and he doesn't even know it."

Chase sighed. "You are in so much shit."

"Yeah, well…nothing I won't try once," she said flippantly.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Don't say that. You're not some slut. It's just…one hell of a predicament." He turned his gaze back upon the baby who was staring intently at him. "Can I hold her?"

Thirteen cleared her throat. "Sure. I'll just call for the food. Is Italian ok?"

"Yeah. Sounds good."

As Thirteen put in a call for food, she went over all the scenarios in her head she had been planning to let slip the darkest secret she had ever held inside. Letting Chase work it out as he looked at the evidence of that secret was not even on the list. She sighed again, unsure of what to do now that the fact that she had given birth to House's baby was out in the open.

"I hate to ask, but has she been tested?"

"What, you don't believe that I had sex with House? Think I'm trying to manipulate him somehow by claiming I have a child that isn't actually biologically his?"

"No. I mean…has she been tested for Huntington's?" He looked guilty, though she had no idea why he would possibly be guilty of anything that had to do with her child or her situation. Perhaps he was just guilty for reminding her of her impending death, she reasoned.

"Yes. She's negative."

"That's probably the best thing House has ever done."

"What? It's not totally his doing, you know."

"I know it's not like he meant to keep your baby from…I mean…never mind."

"It's fine," Thirteen assured him. "You don't have to be sensitive about talking about it. I had to come to terms with my condition. I'm just glad that Chloe doesn't have to worry about it for herself."

"Ditto." There was a long pause. "I guess I should tell you before you go into work Monday: there's something you need to know about House."

"What's that?"

"Well, he's dating Cuddy."

"What?" Thirteen was more than a little surprised. "As in a serious relationship?"

"Yes. It's been going on for as long as you've been gone…I don't know how it started, but they seem pretty serious."

"Well that's a great piece of gossip, and thanks for sharing, but why did you tell me?"

"I just thought you should know." Chase looked somewhat guilty again.

"You thought I might want to try a relationship with him now that we have a kid together?" She smiled. The thought that Chase seemed to want to protect her struck her as a bit odd. "Thanks, but no thanks. He isn't going to change who he is because of Chloe. I'll be lucky if he even wants to meet her."

"You might be surprised."

"Well aside from the fact that he'll need empirical evidence of her paternity."

"He seems to be getting along pretty well with Rachel."

That statement stopped Thirteen in her tracks. She had resigned herself to the fact that House was going to be a non-fatherly ass, but this information about Cuddy's adoptive daughter was unbelievable. For a moment her hopes soared that Chloe might actually have a father in her life, but then she was reminded who her father was. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "He's not going to want to spend time with her…do the things that a father should do. He's probably only doing those things with Rachel because he wants to get into Cuddy's pants." Though she thoroughly believed that statement, she was jealous. She wanted her daughter to have what Rachel Cuddy was apparently getting out of House. She wanted Chloe to have a daddy.

"I don't think so…" Chase started, but seeing that Thirteen was upset, he stopped himself. "What's wrong."

She felt completely stupid and it was more vulnerability than she preferred to disclose, but she admitted her feelings of jealousy to Chase. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this," she admitted.

"You need a friend. Especially an ally who's going to help you out with House," he replied with a shrug. "And wanting something like that is normal."

"But it's stupid. And since when did you become such a good guy."

"I've always been a good guy…most of the time I had to look after myself though…"

"So why aren't you looking after yourself now?"

"People change."

"You believe that?" she asked. "You work for the most cynical bastard on the planet and he hasn't stamped that belief out?"

"People only change when it's their own choice," Chase reasoned. "Even House would agree with that."

"I guess he would. I just don't know how I'm going to face him now. It was hard enough knowing I'm hiding his baby. Now to think that he could be adopting another little girl when he has a daughter…it's just too much."

"Who are you and what have you done with Dr. Remy Hadley?" Chase asked. "Seriously, I've never known someone so headstrong. You'll make it. And if House doesn't want to make time for Chloe once he finds out…well that's his business. You'll be fine and so will she."

"You don't know that."

"I do know it. I may be a pretty boy, but I also know how to read people. That's something I did learn from House. And you are a survivor."

The food came and Thirteen felt embarrassed that she had disclosed so much of herself to Chase. They had been friends…better than anyone else on the team, anyway, but she wasn't usually interested in sharing her fears and problems with people. They always seemed to disappoint her. Even Foreman who had risked his career for her once had disappointed her in the end and he had been the one to whom she had given the most of herself.

As she lay in bed that night, Thirteen thought about how she was going to handle her life. She had thought she was ready, but in light of the newfound knowledge of House, Cuddy and Rachel becoming a unit, she wasn't sure.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Time flew between Chase's visit during which she had divulged the truth, and Monday morning when she was preparing for work. The babysitter, Chelsea, arrived right on time and Thirteen kissed her daughter goodbye for the day. "I'm not sure when I'll be back this evening. I'll give you a call."

"It's fine," Chelsea replied. "I can handle things here."

Thirteen gave the young woman a smile and said goodbye to her child again before heading off to work, her secret hanging over her head like a rain cloud. Fortunately for her, House wasn't in yet when she walked into the office. That small favor was the best she could hope for, because she knew as soon as she sat down the interrogation would start. Foreman had become too much like House to let her get any peace before the Head of Diagnostics arrived. True to what she expected, she had barely touched the seat when Foreman turned to her with a cup of coffee.

"No thanks," she replied with a grin. "I'm off of coffee period for a while."

"I guess ten months away from you has me a little behind on the times," he said with a small smirk. "So where did you go. We know you weren't in Rome for a trial."

"I guess ten months away from you hasn't changed the fact that you want to know everything about my life," Thirteen said. "You lost that privilege when we broke up."

"Wow," Taub said. "I guess you've gotten a little touchier than I remember."

"Just lay off," Chase said as he walked in and hung his coat up. "She's got a right to her privacy."

"House isn't going to let her have privacy. I just figured I'd get her prepped for the interrogation to come," Foreman replied.

"Maybe we should just look at the file," Martha Masters said quietly.

"Yeah, that'll stop House from calling us idiots when we don't know why this man's nosebleed won't stop. And his allergy won't respond to steroids."

"Look, this is my last case, so I'd like to leave here with some kind of dignity. We can figure this out and surprise House for once," Masters' voice gained some confidence.

"Master's is right; we should be looking over the file," Chase agreed, "Whether we can solve it alone or not."

House arrived at 10 a.m. and started in on the berating when Taub informed him that the patient had a sodium deficiency that was causing nosebleeds. Thirteen managed to avoid House for the majority of the day. She thought she might be in the clear until just before five when he singled her out to do some blood tests.

"You shouldn't be adverse to doing some work since you had a ten month vacation. Where was it you went again?"

"Disneyland," she said dryly. "I'll do the tests but it's going to be a little difficult running the panels alone."

"Chase can stay. He's got nothing to go home to anyway. Foreman and Taub are bosom buddies and Masters has a curfew."

"I don't mind helping her," Chase replied. "When I get the goods on her secret life the last ten months you'll all have to bribe me for information."

"Your girl talk is less likely to get answers than Foreman's sexual advances," House told the blond. "And you're not exactly me…so there is exactly a zero percent chance that you're going to find out anything worth knowing."

Thirteen had to hold back a snort. If House only knew.

Over the next two weeks Thirteen began to get comfortable. It was true that House was constantly pecking away at her and trying to get her to talk about her "vacation," but that was to be expected and he wasn't digging nearly as deep as he could have done. Chase tried to help her out as much as possible and she was getting better at deflecting questions from Foreman and Taub.

It was in her third week that Thirteen discovered that she really should have kept up her guard more. She had been seeing Chloe a decent amount and had started feeding the baby strained peas and carrots as well as baby cereal. She came into work one morning after feeding her daughter and hadn't noticed that she had a bit of baby rice on her shirt. House's eyes narrowed like a hawk when he looked at her and she felt terror for the first time in nearly a month.

"You're in late," he told her when she sat down at the table.

"Actually, you're very early," she said, trying to sound casual. "It's barely nine."

"What's that on your shirt?"

"What?" She looked down frantically at her shirt and discovered the small portion of white goo. "Oh…breakfast."

"You over reacted to spilling breakfast?"

"I'm just nervous about my coordination," she told him.

"No you're not…and you don't divulge information like that. Which means that whatever you're trying to hide makes you more vulnerable than the Huntington's." House tapped his cane against his chin. "I just figured you got scared and took off. Didn't figure you had some deep dark reason for leaving. Maybe I should have seen it before. I was curious about the boobs, but who am I to question a great rack? You had a kid."

"What? I…no…"

"Defensive. That's an affirmation," House said. He looked surprised. "I would have thought that with your genetics, you wouldn't want to chance passing them on."

"She doesn't have Huntington's," Thirteen blurted out. She clenched her fists as she realized what she had just done.

"You had a baby?" Foreman asked, astonished.

"Is it yours?" Taub asked Foreman.

"NO!" Thirteen said, flushing.

"Who is the father?" House asked. "Whoever it is, must be an idiot for not noticing."

"He is an idiot. It's not his business though. He's not interested in a family…or so I thought." Thirteen was breathing hard. Her voice was shaky and her heart was beating more fiercely than it had ever done.

House's face turned into something Thirteen had never seen, then he got up. "You all should really go check on the patient," he ordered. "Something I once read said that doctors are supposed to take care of patients." If her heart had been beating fiercely before it was nothing to what was happening now and Thirteen felt as though she might pass out.

He knew.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Thirteen hurriedly made her way out of the diagnostic office and down to the parking garage. Chase followed, telling the others that he would meet them later. "You're not the father, are you?" Taub asked. Chase ignored him in favor of catching up with Thirteen. She was unlocking her car when he finally caught her.

"Are you ok?" he asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No. Nothing's ok anymore. This job is over for me."

"What? Why?"

She turned away and started jamming the keys at the lock. "He knows, Chase. He just figured it out and I can't work here anymore." A few tears escaped her eyes as she tried to unlock the car door.

"Stop. Just hold on for a minute," Chase said as he tried to keep Thirteen from getting into the car. "Just because he found out doesn't mean that your job is lost. He can't just fire you because he discovered that you're the mother of his child."

"He can do whatever the hell he wants, Chase. That's the point. I'm so fucked…I have to go."

"No. You need to stay here. There's not any reason that he can't work with you. You'll keep your job." Chase sighed and let Thirteen go. "Don't go."

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she opened the car door.

Chase watched her peel out of the parking lot and let his head fall back. She was right…House could do whatever the hell he wanted. That was the problem: there was something Thirteen needed him to do. Not even for her, but for their daughter…but Chase was almost sure that there was no way House would ever consent. He figured that his boss wouldn't want a kid when he had something so good going for him with Cuddy and her daughter.

House damned near shit himself when he caught the implication that Thirteen was making. He could see no way around the fact that she was suggesting he was the father of her child. Once the team was out of the office, House closed his eyes and remembered the night as he had many times before. He had just assumed that he had dreamed their night together since she had not said anything and had left before he had awakened.

"Fuck," he said aloud. He had Cuddy now and life was getting better. A lot of the drama was leaving his life and as much as he had wanted Thirteen back on the team, he wished a little that she had never returned to New Jersey. He was going to have to tell Cuddy somehow. He also had to figure out what he was going to do about Thirteen…and the kid.

Thirteen scooped up her daughter as soon as she got home and told the babysitter that she could have the rest of the day off. With a huge sigh, she held onto Chloe tightly. As much as she had prepared herself for the fact that House wasn't the fatherly type, she couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed. The news of House's relationship with Rachel had been surprising, but it had raised her hopes a little. She really wanted her child to have some type of a relationship with her father…some kind of male influence in her life.

It was shortly after she gave the baby a bath that a knock startled Thirteen out of her quiet evening. She figured that it was Chase calling to check on her and picked Chloe up on her way to answer the door. Her heart skipped a beat when she came face to face with none other than the man responsible for her current predicament.

"This the kid?" he asked, searching the baby's face for his own features.

"What are you doing here?" she replied, ignoring his question. She shifted Chloe subconsciously, but didn't move to allow House entrance into the apartment.

"I figured that much is obvious. You dropped the news that you gave birth to my child; clearly I had to find out the truth."

"You think I would lie about something like this?" Thirteen asked.

"I have no idea what you would lie about…you lied about where you were going when you left. You lied to me when you said you came back for the job. You didn't even tell me you were pregnant. Didn't let me know that my DNA was floating around in your uterus without my consent."

"Get inside," she said harshly. He was getting louder with every word and she had neighbors that she would have to live with. She had no desire for them to be made aware of her situation. She stepped back, shielding Chloe from House's glare as he staggered past her into the apartment. She closed the door as quickly as possible and turned to face him, feeling as though she had to explain herself, though she knew he had no right to judge her for anything.

"I decided to keep what was mine. The only thing that was maybe a little wrong was keeping the information from you, but since you had no desire to have a child, I didn't want to risk you somehow forcing me to get an abortion. Clearly you don't have qualms about fathering somebody else's bastard, though."

"Rachel isn't involved in this," House stated.

"She is now that you're fucking her mother. Since Cuddy wouldn't possibly let you sleep with her without some kind of relationship with Rachel, you shouldn't even try denying that you're turning into a proxy dad," Thirteen threw at him. She kept her voice calm, however, so as not to distress the baby.

"This is insane. I have no choice about being a father to Rachel. You're trying to force fatherhood on me with this kid too."

"I'm not forcing anything on you. Why do you think I left?"

"What do you think is going to happen? You know I'm dating Cuddy. Did you think that I'd just leave her to be with you? To take care of the kid I had no knowledge about?" House demanded.

She knew his anger was righteous, but she wasn't willing to let him off the hook that easily. He was just as responsible as he was for this situation. "I don't care what you do. I had a passing thought that maybe, just maybe you wouldn't be such a selfish ass for once in your life, but I guess I was wrong. You don't have to be a part of her life, but I wasn't going to let her go through her whole life not knowing that she had a father. That's why I came back. And I had to settle things with the team."

"I'm not giving up my relationship for this."

"I'm not asking you to." They were quiet for a few moments as House looked over the child in Thirteen's arms. "What are you going to tell Cuddy?"

"I have no idea." House sighed. "I needed to see this for myself before I said anything to anyone or made any decisions."

"So Wilson doesn't know?"

"Not yet. I'm telling him tonight."

"I'd rather it not be spread all over the hospital just yet," Thirteen pointed out.

"You told Chase. His mouth has been over just as many women from the hospital as Wilson's has. He's more likely to tell someone than Chase is."

"Don't get pissy."

"What are you going to do with her?"

"What do you mean? I'm going to take care of her…that's what you do with children."

"I mean while you're at work," he said, rolling his eyes.

"So you aren't firing me?" she asked, surprised.

"Not yet. Cuddy might though. And you're going to have to come with me when she finds out about this mess."

"I am not bringing Chloe to your girlfriend's house to explain that we had sex. It was before you even started a relationship with her, so you should be fine. I'm the one that will take the heat…I hid the pregnancy and the baby…"

"Chloe?"

"Yes. Chloe Elyse," she told him.

"What's her last name?" he asked.

"House." She cleared her throat as his eyes swept over her face, analyzing it. "It didn't seem right to give her my name…since she does have a father."

"Cuddy's going to want a paternity test."

"Fine," she said.

"I've got to go," House told her after a moment. Chloe was looking intently at him and it was unnerving him. Thirteen nodded her head and opened the front door. "I'll see you in the morning."

As she locked the door behind him, Thirteen heaved a sigh of relief. It could have gone much worse and she was well aware of that fact. At least it was all out in the open, she told herself. Now all she had to do was go with House to explain to the Dean of Medicine that he had a love child…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Thirteen arrived in the office late the next morning, all House did was toss her a swab in a test tube. She understood it to mean that he wanted the paternity test. "No retribution for her being late?" Taub asked, one eyebrow raised in surprise.

"Stop being such a brown-noser, you've got a huge smudge on the end of that giant nose," House barked at him. "Aren't you supposed to be getting a patient history?"

"Geez, I didn't know that having a love child with the boss would automatically up your status on the team…" the shorter man muttered.

"One more remark like that and you're off the team, mini moron."

"Well I suppose it's true then?" Foreman asked. "The baby is yours?" He looked far more confused than Thirteen had ever seen.

"Yes. Thirteen and I got it on…now it's out in the open. Can we get on with the medicine? You're the one who's usually reminding me that the important part of the job is the medicine," House told him.

"Ok then, I'm going to go get a set of blood panels." Chase stood up and grabbed the case file. "Anyone want to join me?"

"I'll help you," Thirteen said hurriedly, glad for an excuse to get out of the way of the speculation.

House had totally outed her, her secret was no longer a secret and she had a feeling that there was a short period of time left before everyone in the hospital knew. She had known the day would come, though she had hoped it would be a little longer in coming. Then again, she was dealing with House…he was basically a detective and when it came to secrets the only person who she would be less willing to trust with them would be Taub the traitor. She was seriously starting to dislike the former plastic surgeon and his need to know other people's business.

"Thought you might want the distraction," Chase said as they made their way down to the patient room. "It was kind of tense in there."

"Yeah. Thanks for that. I…well, they're…you know."

"So you talked to House then?"

"He came over last night," she told him. "He was an ass, as usual, but we seemed to work it out."

"Is he going to help you out? Be a dad?"

" have no idea," she admitted.

"But…"

"He isn't firing me. He does want a paternity test, though."

"Shocker…" Chase cleared his throat. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't be so blasé about the whole situation. It figures that he would want a test though. Can't trust anyone…"

The two doctors finished the blood panels and tox screen before returning to the diagnostic office. House had gone down to lunch, but Foreman and Taub were waiting for them to return. "House wants a full DDX when he gets back from his lunch date with Wilson. We're just supposed to monitor the patient until then," Foreman instructed. "Remy, can I talk to you?"

"Not right now," she replied.

"I think we need to discuss a few things."

"Like your need to infiltrate every aspect of my life even though we aren't together anymore," she countered.

"As your colleague and someone who is going to be affected by your actions in sleeping and conceiving a child with our boss, I think I deserve some kind of apology," Foreman told her.

"YOU don't deserve anything," she told him. "The next time you want to talk about how horrible your life is going to be because I had a baby, maybe you should talk to your new roomie…I'm sure Taub wants to chat about my personal life. I, on the other hand, don't really see any reason to explain myself to you. We're done…we've been done for a long time."

"I don't know if I can work with you…"

"That's not my problem," she told him, turning on her heel. She was clad when no one followed her out of the office. She didn't even feel like talking to Chase, though she was fairly certain that he was being grilled for information as she was leaving.

"Have you told her yet?" Thirteen demanded of the father of her child as he made his way into her apartment later that evening.

"No. I'm going over to her place tomorrow night and I thought we needed to be alone for a discussion like the one I'm in for when she finds out," House replied. "Testy…"

"Excuse me…I had to spend the lunch hour being berated and examined by my ex-boyfriend about the child we conceived."

"Why don't you just tell him off and get it over with. Tell him to mind his own business and he'll probably shut up for a while." House smirked. "That's what I do."

"We can't all have the privilege of being the boss." She looked him over. "And for your information, I have told him off…a few times."

"I haven't heard it…maybe you should tell him off again when I'm around."

"So you get some entertainment? It's not like I plan the times when I tell Foreman to go screw himself. I generally want to stay as far away from him as possible these days."

House rolled his eyes. "Would you just relax? The shit hasn't hit the fan yet…Cuddy doesn't know."

"You told Foreman and Taub…and I'm assuming that Wilson knows as well…didn't think about them telling her?"

"I have to go." He had a panicked look in his eyes that told her that he hadn't actually thought about Cuddy finding out via someone other than himself. He paused for half a minute to look at Chloe sleeping in the cradle by the couch before leaving.

Thirteen was none too pleased when it was time to go into work the day after her altercation with Foreman, but there seemed to be nothing to do except her job. She walked into the office and stopped dead in her tracks; there was Cuddy breathing like a winded rhino and quaking as she looked up at House. House looked more afraid than guilty and Thirteen's stomach felt as though it was going to drop out the bottom of her body. She looked over at her fellow fellows who were looking on with more than a little bit of fear in their own eyes and knew…the cat was out of the bag. Cuddy had somehow found out about Chloe.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Thirteen swallowed hard and tried to steady her breathing. So her boss had had a one night stand with her and they had produced a baby which he had only just found out about…so that very same boss who was the father of her child was just happened to be dating his boss…and so that boss of her boss had just found out about her secret love child…what was the worst that could happen. Feeling as though she would rather be anywhere but where she was at that moment, she decided to bite the bullet and go inside. There really wasn't anything else she could have done. She was almost certainly going to be fired, but it was better to just get it over with now…like ripping off a band aid it would be better to rip it off quickly.

With determination in her mind, she opened the door to the differential office and walked inside. She was met by five sets of eyes, all probing, waiting for her to set into some kind of explanation. "Morning," she said in a falsely cheery voice.

"Doctor Hadley, there are some things that we need to discuss," Cuddy said coldly. "Would you care to join Doctor House in my office?"

"I want to know which one of them told you," House told the Dean of Medicine, obviously continuing a conversation that had been going on before Thirteen had arrived.

"We can discuss that in private," Cuddy said stiffly.

"They all know…any one of them could have told you. Why won't you just tell me?"

"They're apparently more important than your girlfriend. Fan-fucking-tastic!"

Thirteen had never heard Cuddy swear like this, but she couldn't really blame her. Of course she was partially at fault for the delay in Cuddy finding out about House's illegitimate daughter. "I'll join you downstairs when you're ready," she said, hoping to deter House and Cuddy from continuing this argument in front of the rest of the team.

"Stay right where you are. We're finishing this here. I'm not going to her office where she can feel like she has the upper hand. This isn't anything that she can be mad about…it happened before we started dating."

"I can, in fact, be mad. You lied to me, kept secrets from me…a child! And the rest of the hospital knows that something is going on. Wilson knows exactly what's going on and that means if he's dating anyone at the hospital, they have all the details…everyone has all the details. Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out!"

"This exact scenario. You yelling at me and blaming me even though I've known less than a week!" House retorted.

"Fuck you, House!" Cuddy was yelling and Thirteen saw Wilson rushing down the hall. "Don't try to stop me," she told the oncologist as she lunged at her boyfriend with more force than Thirteen would have imagined her capable. To House's dismay it was with anger instead of lust that she pounced upon him. Before Wilson could pry her off of the diagnostician, she had blacked his left eye and his nose was pouring blood.

Thirteen stepped back when Cuddy rounded upon her. "You had no right to keep this a secret. NO RIGHT TO HAVE HIS BABY!"

"Chloe is my baby. House was basically a sperm donor," Thirteen said wearily. "This isn't easy for me and I understand that you're upset, but there isn't anything that can change what happened."

"I'm not going to fire you," Cuddy spat at House. "But you will give me a baby."

As Wilson escorted her out of the differential office, Cuddy's last statement rang in House's and Thirteen's ears. "She's not getting anywhere near Chloe," Thirteen told him.

"I don't think she means your baby…" House retorted, looking far less pleased about the prospect of sleeping with Cuddy until they produced an offspring than he would have been before she found out that he already had a daughter.

All in all it was the most shocking outcome Thirteen could fathom. She cleared her throat. "Should we get back to the patient or does she expect you in her office immediately?" Thirteen asked.

"Holy Shit," Chase commented as he and Thirteen entered the lab. "That was probably the most uncomfortable morning of my life…and I had to sit through the preliminaries of my divorce less than a foot away from Cameron. At least she didn't yell at me…she didn't even talk to me actually. But Cuddy clearly isn't the same kind of woman."

"Clearly."

"Are you afraid that she's going to change her mind later and fire you both?"

"If she does that I guess I'll have to deal with it, but I don't see that happening at this point. Especially if House decides that he's going to give her what she wants."

"I don't suppose she can change her mind later if she doesn't get pregnant…she'll at least have to come up with some other reason."

"That's not exactly reassuring," Thirteen pointed out.

"At least Foreman is off your back for now."

"Yeah. That is a positive. If he asks for me to give him a baby I'll break his arrogant nose." She smiled for what felt like the first time in a month, though she knew she had just smiled at her daughter before leaving for work. "It's a load off of my shoulders though. I kind of expected the blowup to be bigger."

"House actually took most of the heat."

"I didn't do anything to Cuddy…I failed to tell her then future boyfriend that I was pregnant with his baby, but that's really something I couldn't have anticipated. At the time it wasn't any of her business…the only reason it's her business now is because it's House's."

"Ready for a vacation yet?" he asked, glad that she was relaxing a bit.

"I was ready the day I came back to work."

Chase smiled. "I'll bring over some beer tonight."

Thirteen smiled at him, grateful for his friendship, even though she would really like to be alone with Chloe for a night free of drama. She didn't want to push him away, though, so she just nodded. It was good to have allies in a situation such as hers.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As much as Thirteen hated to allow her child to be the center of attention for everyone at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, she took Chloe into work with her a few days after the confrontation between House and Cuddy. Cuddy's demand for a paternity test was predominantly annoying, but it was also somewhat insulting. The idea that she would lie about House being the father of her child was fairly insane; who in their right minds would do so was beyond Thirteen. Nevertheless, Chloe was interested in seeing the hospital; her eyes were huge as she took in all of the people and sounds of the large building.

"Morning," Chase greeted as he stepped into the elevator with Thirteen and Chloe. "Test today?"

"Good morning to you, too, and yeah," Thirteen said with a sigh. "This is ridiculous. I think Cuddy just wanted to find some way to punish me."

"Hmm…maybe. I'm more inclined to believe that she wanted to see the child that House is supposed to be working on making for her. She's curious about what his kids will be like."

Thirteen rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt that she'll be able to have a kid. Didn't she try invitro like three times? And she's been dating House for a while…my experience is that he prefers sex bareback."

"Well you have the evidence to prove it," Chase said with a hint of a smile. Despite the fact that she wasn't quite ready to laugh at the unfortunate circumstances which led to hiding away to give birth to her beautiful baby, Thirteen managed a grin. Chase could tell that it was forced, though, and was quick to make an apology.

"Sorry. Just trying to ease the tension."

"It's fine. I'm pretty sure nothing's going to ease the tension today," Thirteen told him.

"Right."

Cuddy was waiting in House's office when Chase and Thirteen arrived with Chloe. House was in the differential room with Foreman and Taub going over case files in an attempt to find something vaguely interesting. Thirteen surmised that her boss was trying to avoid being alone with Cuddy at all costs this morning. Since Cuddy had demanded that House produce a child with her, he had been in a particularly bad mood. Thirteen didn't really blame him, but she did find reasons to stay out of his way.

When Thirteen placed Chloe's carrier onto the differential table between herself and House, she couldn't help but notice the unconscious ripple of interest flowing in her direction. The men were all sneaking glances at the baby and Cuddy stood up and walked into the outer office to see her. She stopped a few feet away from the carrier and looked the baby over thoroughly before asking, "What's her name?"

"Chloe," Thirteen replied, determined not to let her nervousness show through. Chloe peered up at Cuddy with her large blue eyes and stuck one tiny fist into her mouth.

"She's adorable."

"Thanks." Thirteen was at a loss as to what to do next. The woman who loathed the existence of her child had just complimented it. And House, was just standing by watching as though it was one of his soap operas. She cleared her throat nervously.

"Let's go ahead and get the testing done so we can go on with the day," House said after what seemed like half an eternity. Thirteen took Chloe out of the carrier and followed House and Cuddy down to the lab. Thirteen wanted to be the one to do the blood stick since she wasn't sure she could trust either House or Cuddy to be gentle with the baby.

"We should just swab her mouth," House said in a surprisingly gentle voice, startling Thirteen. She nodded, glad that the baby wasn't going to have to endure a needle. She thought for sure that Cuddy would want to use blood, but the older woman made no protests. House handed Cuddy a swab and stepped back to watch the process.

Thirteen held Chloe while Cuddy coaxed the baby into opening her mouth. She got the swab quickly and the younger woman had to wonder if it was awkward for Cuddy to be so near House's child, to touch her and not have any claim on her. From what Chase had said on his many visits to Thirteen's apartment for dinner and visits with Chloe, House and Cuddy had been very close while Thirteen had been gone.

Cuddy took a swab from House's mouth as well and the members of the diagnostic team left her to work, House pausing to give his girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek before following Thirteen and Chloe out. The morning seemed exceptionally long as the team as a whole awaited the results of the paternity test. Foreman, Taub and Chase of course were merely interested to see the results of the results: Cuddy's reaction.

Thirteen came back into the diagnostic office after lunch and dropping Chloe off with the babysitter when she saw Cuddy making her way down the hall. "I guess this is it," she said to Chase as House rose from his desk and came into the ddx room looking curiously at his fellows. Cuddy opened the door and looked at only House as she delivered the news, though Thirteen knew that the Dean of Medicine was painfully aware of several sets of eyes glued to her every movement.

"The baby is yours," she said quietly. "Can I talk to you privately?" House didn't say anything, but he followed her into his personal office.

"I think we should check on the patient," Chase said rising from his chair.

"Yeah. Let's go," Thirteen chimed in.

"I want to see this," Taub admitted.

"It's really not any of your business," Thirteen told him. She was really starting to dislike him more, especially since he had been around Foreman so much more.

"So…he knows everything about us, it might be nice to know something about him that he would rather keep to himself."

"Just get up," Foreman said with a sigh. "You might actually lose your job over this." Thirteen rolled her eyes, but was a tiny bit grateful that Foreman had called Taub off. She wasn't exactly a part of the conversation between House and Cuddy, but she was most certainly a part of the speculation as to what would happen in light of the situation.

"You guys don't need us, we're just going to grab a coffee," Chase told Foreman and Taub as he gently steered Thirteen toward the vending machines and away from their colleagues. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Just a little stressed, I guess. I get why House is interesting, but I figured those guys would at least give me a little bit of respect."

Chase patted her shoulder. "Sorry, but Taub has become a bigger ass in your absence. Foreman is the same guy, but jealous of what you've done without him."

She rolled her eyes. "He really just needs to get over it. We haven't dated in two years!"

"Can't blame him for wanting to be with you. You are smart, beautiful, you can go toe to toe with House better than most, and now you have a child…a reason to stay grounded. That's how he sees it anyway."

"I don't need Foreman's drama right now. I guess I'm going to have to talk to him and let him know that if we can't be friends we'll have to find a way to work together professionally…unless she wants to leave, that is."

Chase snorted. "Good luck."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The day seemed to drag on and on for Thirteen and she was more than a little relieved when Taub left early for the day, citing having to take care of some personal matters as reason to go. House had called briefly to inform the team that he'd be out for the rest of the day and to give instructions on treating and testing the patient. Foreman, Chase and Thirteen got through several tests before the patient crashed and House had to be called.

"Have you checked him for every STD?"

"He's not sexually active. He's twelve!" Foreman said for the third time since House had suggested it earlier.

"There are lots of sexually active twelve year olds out there," House replied. "Just because he says he isn't doesn't mean he isn't. Actually, twelve year olds lie more than most other people…they suffer from being on the cusp of those nasty teenage years. The reason teenagers don't lie more is because they don't speak to many people outside their own age group."

"The last two times STDs have been suggested he's gotten some other, non-STD caused symptom," Chase pointed out.

"Check him now," House said slowly. "HIV has started impairing his immune system and he's got toxoplasmosis."

"Who would a twelve year old sleep with that has HIV? You don't think he was…?" Thirteen asked.

"Call child services," House instructed before hanging up the phone.

Four hours later the patient was on medication and the parents were talking to child services. He had admitted to being sexually abused, but was refusing to say anything else about it. Thirteen sighed as she sat down at the Diagnostic table with Chase and Foreman. "I can't believe either of his parents would have done this to him," she said wearily.

"Blood tests will check for HIV in the parents, but if one has it the other must have it as well. My bet is that it's someone at his daycare," Chase announced.

"Why do you say that?" Thirteen queried.

"Parents drive him to school. Aunt Addie is the principal. He doesn't play sports…daycare is the only thing that makes sense."

"Doesn't really matter," Foreman stated. "A twelve year old got HIV. The world is going to hell."

"True."

"I'm going to be doing some hardcore screening when Chloe starts school and daycare. No way am I going to let anything like this happen to her. I don't care how much it costs to keep her safe."

"I hope you succeed." Foreman was looking at her with something in his eyes she wasn't used to seeing: reverence.

"Chase, would you mind giving us a few minutes?" Thirteen asked.

"Sure. I'll grab some coffee. Want some?"

"No thanks," they said in unison.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but we can't date. I know what we had was good, but Chloe is the only thing I'm going to focus on right now. You and I…we had to work at our relationship a lot. And it was good, but I'm not looking for something that drains me to the point that I can't focus on any other relationships outside of work."

"I understand," Foreman said quietly. "I'd like to be your friend, though."

"That would be great." She stood up and Foreman followed her lead. He opened his arms and he hugged him, sealing the truce.

"We went through a lot together," he said in his low voice.

"Yes, we did. And I expect we'll stay good friends for a long time."

"I hope so." He allowed her to slip from the embrace. "If you don't think it would be weird, I'd like to take you and Chloe out to dinner some time. She and I could be good friends."

"She'll need good friends," she replied with a smile. It was bittersweet for Remy to think about the future. Chloe would be growing up, but she would be dying, little by little. She swore she would try to do everything she could for her daughter; to help her understand and keep her happy.

"I'm going to go home. There's nothing we can do for the patient right now. Nothing we can do for the parents."

"Sure," Foreman replied, clearing his throat.

"I'm going to stick around for a while."

Thirteen was getting ready to climb into bed when a knock at her door signaled that she would be up for a while. She had known House long enough to recognize his signature cane-knock. With a sigh, she wrapped a fuzzy robe around herself and opened the door. House looked less than pleased when he limped into her apartment. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need to talk to you about work."

"You're not firing me, are you?"

"No, but we do need to have a conversation. I don't like it any more than you do, but I have to appease Cuddy. She's my girlfriend and I have feelings for her."

"Okay…"

"Mind if I sit down? My leg is killing me?"

"Sure. What's going on?"

"We're probably going to be checked up on pretty frequently. I didn't approve her request to sit in on all of our differentials, but I suspect she'll be keeping tabs on the two of us, anyway. She's jealous that you had my baby. I'm supposed to be getting her pregnant, but she's tried before and couldn't do it."

"So she's going to be watching me in case I want to steal you?" Thirteen snorted. "Sorry, but that's a little insane. Not that I hate you or anything, but I'm not interested in a relationship."

House rolled his eyes. "Yes, please let me know if you decide you want one, because I'd really like Cuddy to castrate me."

"Sorry…continue."

"I need you to pretend to date Foreman."

"WHAT!"

"Just so she sees that you're not interested in taking me away from her."

"That's even more insane that me going after you!"

"Fine, pretend to date Chase."

"I'm supposed to live a lie so your girlfriend feels better?"

"She's your boss, you know. Making her feel good will only end well for you."

"And get you more sex."

"I'm not lacking for sex, thank you. But it will get me, guilt-free celebration sex."

"And that helps me, how?"

"If Cuddy sees that you don't want me, she'll ease up and we can all do our jobs better."

"Right. Except that I have to convince my co-worker to lie to the hospital administrator for me," she laughed.

"Don't be such a girl. It's a small favor."

"How do you think Chase will take it if I ask him to pretend to date me?"

"Pretty well considering how close you too seem nowadays," House pointed out.

"So I'll owe him a favor. What if he expects sex out of this? Should I tell him to swing by your place, cuz I'm not sleeping with him to help you out." Thirteen looked House over as he pondered.

"Fine. I'll owe you a favor. A big one," he amended as he saw her eyes glinting with something akin to outrage.

"Okay, but you have to ask Chase to lie. I'm not going to be the one suggesting this fake dating. I don't want him to think I had any part in this stupid idea."

"Deal. And you'd better hope he agrees. If nothing else we'll recruit Wilson to be your fake boyfriend…and I know he'll want sex out of one of us…"

As she finally sank into bed, Thirteen's mind raced. How the hell was she going to face Chase after House concocted this insane idea and presented it to him?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Thirteen's stomach dropped when she saw Chase approaching her in the elevator the next morning. She didn't know if House had asked him to be her faux boyfriend yet and she didn't particularly want to be a part of that conversation…she didn't want to be part of any conversation in regard to faking a relationship, but she knew House was right. Things would be much less stressful if Cuddy wasn't following her around and watching House's every move. Thirteen desperately needed a break from drama after the last year or so.

"Hello," he greeted her cheerily as he entered the lift. She forced a smile, assuming the worst was still to come.

"Hi."

"So, you'll never guess who called me last night for no reason?"

"Cameron decided she wants you back?" Thirteen asked, knowing he was about to spring the House situation on her and demand answers.

"No. Nothing that dramatic," he replied with a grin. "House called and asked if I would pretend to be your boyfriend so Cuddy would lay off."

"Oh."

"I'm assuming he asked you to find a fake date to flaunt in front of her. I just didn't think he had the balls to ask me. He always called me the kiss up when I worked for him before. I would have expected him to con Wilson into asking you out."

"Cuddy would talk to Wilson," Thirteen rationalized. "She can probably tell when he's lying. Especially since he's been lying for House for so many years. She would definitely expect it."

"I suppose you're right."

"Sorry about that. I told him I didn't want to ask you to do this. It's stupid really."

"Don't worry about it. I know it'll be better for everyone if Cuddy knows for sure that you aren't going to try stealing her man."

Thirteen felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her chest. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. House did mention that you were free for sex on Fridays, though…"

"He what?" she practically yelled as they were stepping out of the elevator.

Chase snorted. "I was kidding. He actually said no sex, but that I should tell you it was required. I didn't expect you to react so well."

"Sorry. It's not every day you hear that your boss has offered you up for sex once a week to the first coworker who will agree to pretend to date you."

Don't worry about it. I'm not going to force you to do anything. You don't owe me anything." Chase grinned. "Although I suppose I am a bit hurt that you wouldn't sacrifice yourself to me for sex."

Thirteen rolled her eyes. "Please don't make me kill you. If this "relationship" fails House will probably try to make me date Foreman and that is not happening."

As Thirteen and Chase strolled into the differential room, Foreman and Taub looked at House with suspicion. "What?" the new arrivals asked in unison.

"House informed us that you and Chase are the new hot couple," Taub said with a smirk. "I was just wondering if he had planned something with the two of you."

"Chase and I are dating; it's not a big deal. We're not trying to make anyone mad or cut any deals. It's just casual."

"This isn't going to interfere with work, is it?" House asked patronizingly.

"Did Foreman and I dating interfere with work?" Thirteen asked.

"Or me and Cameron?" Chase added.

"Yes on both counts."

"Don't mess with them. If they want to date, let them do it. It's good for people to have relationships outside of work," Foreman said, surprising everyone there.

"Why are you playing the role of Doctor Love?" House asked.

"I just don't think you should harass them."

"Right. That's my style; listen to relationship advice from the help…" He turned toward his office. "I expect a pile of potential cases before lunch," he called out over his shoulder as he headed for his computer and what was sure to be a morning filled with porn.

"Are you really okay with this?" Taub asked Foreman as Chase and Thirteen settled down at the table.

"Yeah. We're all adults. I've moved on from Thirteen."

Though she was relived, Thirteen didn't know whether or not to be a bit upset. She certainly didn't want Foreman to be mad at her, but there was no way she could give up the façade. The repercussions from Cuddy would overwhelm the entire team. With a sigh, Thirteen finished her coffee and turned to Chase. "Let's go check the E.R. Maybe something interesting will have come in and we can appease House."

As they waded through the stacks of files in the clinic after the E.R. had failed to produce any House-worthy results, Thirteen wondered exactly how and when House planned on making her "relationship" with Chase known to the hospital administrator. Cuddy would obviously suspicious of House flopping down in front of her and saying "Thirteen and Chase are dating," but she was going to have to be informed in order for the plan to work. When Cuddy popped out of the patient room next to hers, however, Thirteen remembered that she was being watched. Of course House would send her off to be with Chase as often as possible so Cuddy could see the budding romance. She sighed. At least she and Chase would be able to take more breaks from House's craziness.

Three hours and 15 patients later, Thirteen thought that perhaps House was actually trying to punish her for having a baby by making her swab crotches. That was certainly the only thing she had been doing in the clinic in any case. She took a lunch break and found Chase sitting in the cafeteria with a salad and coffee. "Figured you would be out soon. I don't know why grown people can't read some literature on condoms. One would think that with half of Jersey getting STDs someone would notice and read up."

"Morning full of crotch rot for you too?" she asked, feeling more relaxed than she had since Cuddy had found out about her love child with House.

"Somehow I don't think House really wanted us to find a case."

"It's doubtful. Maybe he was hoping Cuddy would notice us. She's been following me," Thirteen informed him.

"Speaking of which, she's coming our way."

Thirteen looked toward the door and sure enough, the Dean of Medicine was zeroing in on their table. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak with Dr. Hadley. Do you have a minute?" Cuddy asked.

"Sure." Thirteen followed her out into the hall and wondered what was going to happen.

"Are you interested in House?" Cuddy asked blatantly. Thirteen was a little shocked that the older woman was so blunt in asking.

"No. Actually Chase and I just started dating."

"Oh. Really? How is Foreman taking it?" Cuddy inquired.

"I'd really rather not talk about Foreman."

"I understand," Cuddy replied with a small smile. "You're sure that you don't want anything from him? House I mean. I just want to need to know that his relationship with you is strictly platonic."

"I promise that there is nothing between us. I would appreciate it if he had a little interest in Chloe, but that's it." Thirteen wondered if Cuddy was going to catch on to the fact that her "relationship" was conveniently timed to suit House.

"I'm sure he'll spend time with his daughter. But we're trying really hard to start a family of our own. I want a baby and I need to know that he's going to be in my life. I love House…it's stupid, but true."

Thirteen paused as two nurses passed by. "There's nothing I want more than to be in a good relationship. And I hope you get the same."

"Great. Thanks." Cuddy cleared her throat. "I'll let you get back to your lunch."

"Sure." Thirteen returned to her table and let out a huge sigh.

"What was that all about?" Chase asked.

"Basically she was warning me away from House. She asked a bunch of questions about what I wanted from him and told me she really wanted a family from him."

"Wow."

"Yeah. But I did manage to slip in a message about us dating. That should help to clear things a bit," she reasoned.

"Hopefully."

"You don't think she'll have me followed outside of work, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Chase asked aloud.

"Well she was dating Lucas."

"I don't know if they're on such good terms since she broke off their engagement to be with House," Chase pointed out.

"I wouldn't put it past her, though."

"True. Do you want me to bring dinner over tonight? Just in case she's having you watched."

"You don't have to do that."

"It's not a big deal. We've had dinner together before."

"Okay," Thirteen agreed. "But I don't want you to feel obligated."

"Not at all."

"See you at six then?"

"Sounds good." The rest of the lunch hour was much more relaxed.


	11. AUTHOR NOTE

**Author Note: For those of you out there wondering, this is a Houteen fic by way of Chase/13. There are of course Huddy fics in my arsenal; however, this one is not specifically a Huddy ship. Thanks for all of your reviews and interest and I hope you continue to read! Thanks, kutnerlove**


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**A/N: Warning, this chapter will contain adult content. For those of you who don't want to read it or who don't like the idea of Chase/Thirteen skip paragraphs 6-**

Chase arrived a six on the dot, just as he promised he would. Thirteen was glad to see him, though she knew he was just being a friend. She didn't want drama, of course, but being a mother didn't leave a lot of time for socializing outside of work. Chase carried the Thai food into the living room and set up dinner on the coffee table, then gave Chloe a quick greeting. The baby seemed to be pleased to see Chase and Thirteen couldn't help but grin. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" Chase asked. Three cups of coffee this afternoon at work and no forgiveness in traffic: my bladder might actually burst."

"Go ahead," Thirteen said, laughing. The adults ate dinner, then Thirteen put Chloe to bed and she talked with Chase for a while. She relished the opportunity to have relaxed adult conversation and Chase seemed to be only too happy to provide the interaction. 'This might actually work out,' Thirteen thought to herself as she was walking Chase to the door at the end of the night.

Thirteen's life became considerably less stressful in the following four months. Chase came over nearly every night and they ate dinner together, played with Chloe and had relaxing conversations. He helped her clean up and brought movies over to watch and kissed her cheek chastely before leaving so she could go to bed. Work was less stressful because of this unique relationship too. Cuddy seemed to have caught on to the fact that Thirteen wasn't interested in stealing House away from her and accepted the fact that she was 'dating' Chase. Foreman became supportive of Chase's courtship of her and even Taub laid off the assault on her personal life that had been started when she returned from her year long absence. House was in a better mood since Cuddy wasn't watching him like a hawk and, though he was still House, wasn't quite the pain in the ass that he was upon her return.

The only thing that she would have liked would have been for House to visit Chloe or even acknowledge her existence. Christmas had come and gone and House sent a card with $500 for the baby, but didn't call or ask how Chloe was. Thirteen expected this had something to do with Cuddy being upset about him having a child that wasn't with her. Everything had been going as perfectly as possible until the first of February.

Chase came over, as usual and they had dinner and put Chloe to bed. Thirteen put in a movie and they sat down on the couch to watch. Everything was completely normal and Thirteen felt so comfortable that she lay her head down on Chase's shoulder. He put an arm around her and after the movie ended the separated so she could walk him to the front door. Thirteen was more than a little surprised; however, when instead of kissing her cheek, Chase kissed her on the lips. For a second she froze, surprised, then she started to respond and he tangled one hand in her hair.

Thirteen allowed herself to be led back in the living room as Chase ran his hands over her lithe body. It had been such a long time since she had been touched like this that Thirteen decided that the consequences be damned. It felt so right when he kissed and touched her that she told herself that there couldn't be anything worse than denying her feelings, and that she should just go with it. Chase pulled her down onto his lap on the couch and things really started to heat up between them. She ground her pelvis against his, the friction feeling so intense that she shuddered into their kiss.

Whenever she made a move, Chase had the perfect counter and vice versa. They moved together so well it was as if they could anticipate the other's actions. It hadn't ever been like this with any other man Thirteen had ever been with and the perfection made it even more alluring.

"Do you want to move to the bedroom?" Chase asked during a split second breather.

"Yes," Thirteen responded.

The two untangled for a moment and made for Thirteen's bedroom with all the quiet speed they could muster. Thirteen paused for a moment outside the door of the nursery to check on Chloe, then followed Chase into the bedroom and quietly closed the door behind them. The two came back together and their clothes came off in a tangled fervor. Thirteen was desperate to feel his skin against hers and to release some of the sexual tension that she hadn't realized had been building up inside of her for the last year and a half.

When they finally made it down to their skin, Chase paused for a moment to take in the sight of Thirteen's body in the moonlight. "You really are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen."

Thirteen smiled. "You're not so bad yourself." She closed the distance between them again and enveloped him in her body heat.

Chase was hot and firm, his lean muscles pressed against her soft breasts. The one thing that she had retained from getting pregnant was slightly larger breasts, for which she was grateful. Chase kissed her thoroughly, tasting her essence before pushing her back on the bed. He wanted to do so many things to her, for her, but this first time, he just needed her.

He climbed into bed with her and took one taut nipple into his mouth as he positioned himself between her thighs.

As waves of pleasure radiated from where his mouth met her flesh, Thirteen held her breath for a few seconds, which seemed like a lifetime as she waited for him to thrust into her. When he finally pressed his manhood against her wet core she came undone. She came around him immediately as he buried himself inside her to the hilt. Chase rode the waves of her pleasure and it took all of his willpower not to join her in ecstasy. When she loosened her grip on him, he began his steady rhythmic thrusting, pouring all of himself into pleasing her and filling her with himself. It didn't take long for him to come to his peak, but he held out as long as he could, hitting just the right place inside her with his last stroke. As she squeezed him once more, he let go and spilled himself into her completely.

They lay tangled and sweaty on top of her bed for quite some time, both reeling from explosions of senses. When he was calmed down, Chase turned to Thirteen with a grin. "Honestly, that's the first time I've been with anyone in six months and it was amazing."

Thirteen laughed. "You don't have to tell me. I've been celibate for over a year."

"So what does this mean?" Chase asked.

"Technically that we had sex."

He rolled his eyes. "I mean, are we in a real relationship now, or is this a onetime thing?"

"I'd like it to continue."

"Good."

"Good." As they fell asleep, Thirteen wondered if things were going to start changing now that she and Chase had decided to make their relationship a real relationship.


End file.
